Greece Wins Second Bailout as Europe Picks Aid Over Default
Bloomberg
Debt-stricken Greece won a second bailout after European governments wrung concessions from private investors and tapped into European Central Bank profits to shield the euro area from a precedent-setting default.
Finance ministers awarded 130 billion euros ($173 billion) in aid, engineered a central-bank profits transfer and coaxed investors into providing more debt relief in an exchange meant to tide Greece past a March bond repayment. Stocks fell and the euro fluctuated as investors speculated the deal won’t fix Greece’s long-term challenges.
Mexican port suffers loss of cruise ships
USA TODAY
Jorge Figueroa made a living offering tours of this fishing port to passengers from the cruise liners that arrived regularly.
The guide and father would take tourists on shopping excursions, jaunts to Spanish colonial villages, zip line adventures and tastings at a distillery making a tequila-like liquor.
Nowadays he sits idle. Cruise ships stopped calling on Mazatlán in 2011 over security concerns, driving down his business by 80% and forcing him to moonlight as a night auditor in a hotel to make ends meet.
Airlines cite high fuel costs as they raise fares
Danbury News Times
If you’re buying an airline ticket soon, get ready to pay a few bucks more.
According to fare trackers, JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines are leading a round of price increases that will boost the base fare on many medium-length and long flights by $10 per round trip.
United, Delta, American and US Airways said Thursday that they had matched the increases.
Hotels offer unusual amenities to lure guests
StarPhoenix
Hotels are going to extraordinary lengths to cater to a guest’s every imaginable need. Think a fragrance or tanning butler, a dog surfing instructor and a sleep concierge.
Sound gimmicky? Maybe. But hotels are vying for the attention of ever-picky travellers. Providing an unusual service creates buzz and can build loyalty.
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